Chelsea Legend Reveals How Manchester United Rejected Him Twice Because of His Body Size

• Michael Essien has opened up on his two failed trials at Manchester United at the beginning of his career
• The former Ghana midfielder disclosed that he was rejected by Sir Alex Ferguson because of his size
• Essien later on joined Chelsea where he made history by winning several trophies with the London side including the UEFA Champions League

Former Ghana international Michael Essien has made a shocking revelation about the early beginnings of his career.

The ex-Chelsea star has disclosed that his move to Manchester United failed because of the size of his body.

According to the 39-year-old, former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was looking for a certain type of player.

"I had two trials at United, but I was seen as too small," he said as quoted by Daily Mail.

"I think Sir Alex was looking for a certain type of player and I wasn’t the one then," he added.

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Essien had the opportunity to join Manchester United after he was invited for a trials following a good U17 World Cup in New Zealand 1999. He helped the Black Starlets finished second to Brazil.

After failing to land a deal at Manchester United, Essien moved to France, where he joined Bastia before later joining Olympique Lyonnais.

Essien returned to England few years later to sign for Chelsea, where he made history, winning several titles with the Blues.

Michael Essien pays tribute to retired West Ham captain Mark Noble

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has revealed his utmost respect for retiring West Ham legend Mark Noble.

Mark Noble is retiring an the end of the season and in an emotional farewell from West Ham, he was celebrated by fans of the club before their game against Manchester City.

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Michael Essien, who faced Noble many times in the English Premier League, admitted in a message on Twitter he does not support West Ham but has so much respect for the midfielder.

Chelsea celebrate Essien on 39th birthday

Former Black Stars midfielder, Michael Essien has been receiving well wishes from former clubs and fans across the globe as he turned 39 on Friday, December 3, 2021.

The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and AC Milan player has been celebrated by the clubs he played for as well lovers of football.

In messages and videos posted on Social Media, several football followers have sent in goodwill messages with other sharing some of his great goals.